Silver Fox and the Bitter Strawberry
by Persistence
Summary: While traveling down the streets of the Rukongai as a child, Gin runs into a unlucky young Ichigo, and soon become best friends and eventually lovers, until a few obstacles threaten to tear them apart.  Gin/Ichi, later minor Gin/Izuru, Aizen/Ichigo
1. Silver Fox and the Bitter Strawberry

This is going to be a short fic (falls on the floor laughing, I always say that and they always turn novel length). It's also a starter up to get me back into writing again. I love Gin, and I've been wanting to write a GinIchi fic for a while since there aren't many out there!

Dislcaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, all characters belong to Kubo-sensei

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A lone silver-haired boy walked along the streets of the Rukongai district with a grin spread across his face, uncaring of those giving him weird looks as he passed. It was something he was used to, and he happened to enjoy people being wary of him. He could hear their comments on how he was a strange boy and some thought he was the devil's son, but he could care less. The only thing on his mind was going to the forest to collect a few persimmons.

"Hey, let me go!" he heard a voice yell and turned his head to the right to see a group of figures moving behind one of the dirty buildings. Kidnappings, murders, and many other horrible deeds were committed in the Rukongai and everyone usually went on about their business, not wanting to be the next victim if they got involved. It was something that the boy had learned as well long ago, but for some reason his curiosity got the better of him today.

He followed the figures, seeing their shadows against the walls as he moved closer. He could hear the struggle going on and someone crying out in pain as punching sounds echoed through the narrow alley. He finally spotted the group and was pleasantly surprised to find a boy the same age as himself with bright orange hair fighting against four other figures.

The silver haired boy was impressed with how well the boy was doing. One of the goons was down on the ground holding jaw as blood seeped through his hands. He watched as two others tried to grab the boy, but he slipped out of their grasp and kneed the one in the stomach before kicking the kneecaps of the guy behind him.

"Here I was going to go easy on ya, but if ya wanna do it the hard way, we will," the last man smirked as he pulled out a knife from inside his kimono. A sadistic grin spread across his face and stepped forward. The orange-haired boy moved backwards looking around as if he was debating if he could get away before the man could strike or catch up with him. It also didn't help with the other two getting back up with ticked off expressions on their face.

"Screw that, let's gut this little fucker and then screw his dead body after we kill him," the guy who had been kicked in the kneecap snarled. Panic filled the orange-haired boy's face as he knew he would not be able to get away from the three of them, especially since they now had a weapon.

"That ain't too nice of ya, three against one and one of ya has a knife. Why don'tcha play fair?" the silver-haired boy asked from behind the group who had not noticed his presence.

"Who the hell are you?" the one with a knife snorted as he looked at the other boy, not seeming too concerned.

"I heard of him, he's the little silver-haired devil that walks these streets," the goon to the left of him commented and the silver-haired boy cocked his head to the side, his grin never fading despite the insult.

"Is that what people been sayin' about me? Hm, I wonder how I got that reputation," the boy opened his eyes to reveal red pupils before he ran forward and kicked the knife out of the man's hand. The orange-haired boy took the distraction and jumped on the back of one of the others. He brought him down to the ground. He brought the man's head up before pounded it into the ground, crushing his nose against the cement ground beneath him.

"Ya little runt," the man who once had the knife snarled as the silver-haired boy took down the other goon.

"I just thought it would be fair and now it is," the boy said cheerfully as the orange-haired boy got up and looked at the man who attacked him with his gang. The man backed away seeing as he was out numbered, not knowing if the silver-haired kid would help the other.

"This isn't over!" he yelled before he took off running. The silver-haired boy waved to the man before turning back to the orange-haired boy who was wiping the dust off of himself and staring at his now ripped clothes.

"Ya like ta get into trouble a lot?" the silver-haired boy asked him. The orange head kid looked up and cast his brown eyes down.

"They've been harassing me for months, I can usually take care of myself, but I've never been up against that many before," he replied quietly. The silver-haired boy observed the kid, noting out thin he was. He obviously had been having trouble with finding food and he wondered if he was a loner and that was why no one came to his aid.

"Thanks for helping me," the orange-haired boy said, snapping the other out of his observation.

"Well someone as puny as ya needs some help, when was the last time ya ate?" he asked and the orange-haired boy scowled at him and balled his hands into fists.

"I am not puny! I know how to take care of myself!" the boy shouted just as his stomach grumbled in protest causing him to flush in embarrassment.

"Whatever ya say, I'll be on my way. I was just goin' to the forest to get some fruit if ya want ta join me," the silver-haired boy waved his hand before turning to leave. He was not going to ask the boy to join him, even though a part of him hoped he would join him. He had never had a companion before and always traveled alone. It would be nice to have someone to talk to and watch his back in case he was in a tough situation.

"Hey," his smirk widened when footsteps came racing after him. "Where is this fruit?" the orange-haired boy asked as he stopped beside him.

"I'll tell ya if ya tell me your name," the silver-haired boy insisted.

"It's Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki," the orange-haired boy finally introduced himself.

"I'm Gin Ichimaru, it's a pleasure to meetcha, Ichi-chan," Gin said as he wrapped an arm around Ichigo and started walking out of the alley with his new companion.

"It's Ichigo," Ichigo protested, though it went to deaf ears.

"Whatever ya say, Ichi-chan,"

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A/N: I don't have this whole story planned out entirely since it was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but it was too long to be one. I do have some ideas, but not a whole lot. If ya have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! also if anyone can think of a better title (its three in the morning and I have to be up in three hours so I wrote the first thing that came to mind)

Thanks so much for reading, hope ya enjoyed, and please review :)


	2. Meeting Rangiku

Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed, favorite, and story alerted this fic ^_^ and another special thanks to **Dream7** for betaing this fic!

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The clerk kept a close eye on the three people browsing the goods of his small shop. A forced smile was plastered on his face, and he was having a hard time keeping even that in place. Two of the customers were adults, a man and a woman, who he had known for some time. They came to his store fairly often, and he knew they would pay. The third, however, was a child with bright orange hair who was looking at a loaf of bread. He doubted the kid belonged to the two adults, and he had a creeping suspicion that the boy was going to try to run off with the bread. There were many orphans in Rukongai, and it was common for them to resort to thievery to survive. However, the clerk was not going to allow the brat to get away with it if he tried to sneak off with some of his wares. Anything that was stolen came out of his wallet!

The clerk made his way over to the kid, who didn't seem to notice him until his shadow covered the child. Innocent brown eyes finally looked up at him, and the kid tilted his head questioningly. "Are you going to buy the bread or stare at it all day? If you can't pay, then I suggest you leave," he said firmly, not caring if the kid took offense. He had to protect his store.

Right on cue, Ichigo's stomach growled. He held his stomach and gave his best pout before turning back to the bread. "I'm sorry sir, I don't have any money. I lost my family yesterday when we were traveling." He hiccuped, sounding as if he were about to burst into tears. The clerk kept up a stern face, though he couldn't help but feel kind of bad for the kid. "I don't know where they are … they could be dead, for all I know. I haven't eaten since then," he explained, hiccuping again. Ichigo looked up through his lashes as the other two customers started to walk by, and that was when he started to perform, just as he'd been taught to.

"I'm sorry kid, but if you want the bread you have to pay for it," the clerk said firmly.

"I'm so hungry," Ichigo repeated with a sniffle, "and my family is probably dead. I don't know what to do." He sniffled again and bowed his head.

"Oh you poor thing," exclaimed the female customer, who had come over after overhearing the conversation. She crouched down next to Ichigo and glared up at the clerk. How could he be so cruel as to let a child starve? "Here, I'll buy you something to eat," she said, grabbing three loaves of bread and handing them to the orange-haired child who was wiping his face.

"Thank you," Ichigo said quietly, giving her a small smile. The woman ruffled his hair and paid for the bread.

"Do you need a place to stay?" she asked as she finished paying. She turned and frowned when she discovered that the child was gone. The clerk gave her a knowing look. She had been played.

Ichigo ran down the street as fast as he could with a small grin on his face. He turned left into an alley and found a silver-haired boy waiting for him with a grin on his face. "See I, toldcha it would work," Gin said cheerfully as he hopped off the boxes he'd been sitting on and walked over to his friend to take a loaf of bread.

"I feel kind of bad for taking advantage of that lady like that," Ichigo murmured as he took a bite out of the bread and began chewing. It was good quality bread and most likely had been baked only that morning.

"This is whatcha got to do to survive on the streets. Ya think anyone else is gonna take care of ya? Besides me of course," Gin asked as he broke the bread in half and began chomping down on it.

"No, not really. You're the only one that has ever helped me," Ichigo replied, and stared down at his bread with a troubled expression.

"Don't feel guilty. It was my idea, after all. I wouldn't have been able ta get away with it, but you look so cute and innocent anyone would cave," Gin told him, and his grin widened when he saw a blush spread across Ichigo's face. It made him look even cuter than before.

"I am not," Ichigo huffed, and bit into his bread. The blush slowly faded and his face went into its normal scowl. The two ate in silence, Ichigo refusing to make eye contact with Gin. He knew the other boy was just teasing him; it was one of his favorite pastimes. In the beginning Ichigo had often taken offense to those kinds of comments, but after a while he'd learned that was just Gin. He was rarely serious and even when he was, it could be hard to tell. After their fateful meeting a year ago, Ichigo had found himself not wanting to leave Gin's side. They helped each other out, and even though Gin didn't say it, Ichigo knew he liked having company.

"That reminds me, Ichi-chan," started Gin as he finished his bread. He looked over at Ichigo, whose scowl had deepened. The silver-haired boy refused to let go of that cursed nickname no matter how many times Ichigo told him not to use it. "While I was waitin' for ya, I saw a couple of your friends from last week. Guess next time we should knock them out harder," he suggested playfully.

Ichigo's eyes widened and had to swallow before the food in his mouth fell out. The week before, while waiting for Gin to return with food, Ichigo had had a run-in with a group of thugs that was after him. It was something he was used to, but it still gave him the creeps because he couldn't figure out why those people were after him. Even before he had met Gin, he had constantly been defending himself against gangs and other individuals that came after him.

Gin often teased him about it, saying that they were after Ichigo's cute butt, but that was just silly. Although a few had threatened to rape him or kill him, none of them had ever revealed why they targeted him. He wondered if there was a wanted poster with his name on it. There was no other reason for these people to be coming after him.

"I guess," Ichigo whispered, putting down the bread as he rapidly lost his appetite. Gin's eyes opened and he stared at his only friend. He hated seeing the other boy depressed (although it did made him look adorable). He turned towards the box he had been sitting on and pulled open the little cloth bundle sitting on top. His frown deepened when he realized that there was only half of a persimmon left. This would not do.

"How about we go for a walk to the forest? That usually clears ya head, and besides, we need to get more persimmons," Gin said cheerfully as he picked up the white cloth that held their food supplies and walked over to Ichigo. He took the extra loaf of bread and placed it inside.

"I don't-" Ichigo started unhappily, but was interrupted when Gin wrapped an arm around his neck and brought him closer, causing the orange-haired boy to blush once again.

"I'm not takin' no for an answer, Ichi-chan. If ya are gonna get all emo on me I'm leavin' ya here," Gin told him as he dragged his friend out of the alley, only releasing him when he started struggling.

"Fine," Ichigo huffed with a glare.

"That's the spirit. Last one there has to steal our next meal!" Gin called and ran off, leaving Ichigo in the dust. The redhead's eyes widened and he took off after the other boy. He was not going to be beat by him again!

Gin's grin returned as he ran, holding their food in his right hand and holding the cloth carefully so none of it spilled out. It looked like he had snapped Ichigo out of his stupor; he could hear his friend yelling at him from behind. No matter how out of sorts his friend got, a challenge or a good sparring match always returned him to the Ichi-chan he'd loved from their first meeting. It was Ichigo's tough exterior that had impressed him; even though he was so small and had no weapons, he didn't run and hide like so many others he had seen while on the streets. He wanted to fight. Even during their sparring sessions, he could see that Ichigo was trying to hold back because otherwise he could easily beat him almost every time. It would be more fun if Ichigo would just let go and fight him for real. However, that was the best part of being chased by various strangers – against creeps like that, there was no reason to practice restraint.

Just last month he and Ichigo were walking home, minding their own business, when three people approached them, two guys and a girl. At first they seemed like they were just being rude and trying to intimidate them, but then one of the men said he was going to take the orange-haired kid. When the man went to grab him, Ichigo twisted out of the way and kicked him in the back, stomping on it to make sure he was down before the other man made a grab for him. Gin had missed what happened next, being distracted by the lovely woman who looked at him as if he had seven eyes, green skin, and hands growing out of his head. When he turned around, both men were lying on the ground and Ichigo barely had a scratch on him.

Despite the regularity with which they ran into trouble, they had never met anyone who was a match for the two of them. Still, Gin knew that there might come a time when they'd be outnumbered and unable to help one another. That was why they kept traveling and never stayed in one place for long, but even so, two kids traveling with easily identifiable hair weren't exactly inconspicuous.

"Hmm." Gin slowed his pace when he saw a body lying in the road, and opened his eyes slightly to get a better look. As he came closer, he was able to identify a girl who looked like she had fainted in the road. She wore colorless rags that were in even poorer condition than the ones he and Ichigo wore. Her long reddish hair reminded him of Ichigo's, though it was less vibrant.

Gin stopped before her and observed that she was quite thin and her face was smeared with dirt. His grin returned and he bent down as the girl opened her brown eyes to see what was blocking the sunlight.

"Hiya! Whatcha doin' down there?" Gin asked, cocking his head to the side. The girl's eyes opened wider in curiosity. Many had traveled by on this road, but all had stepped around her as if she didn't exist. This boy was the first to stop. "Ya look awfully thin." He opened up the white cloth he had been carrying and pulled out half a persimmon before handing it to her.

"Thank you," the girl whispered, giving him a small smile before taking a bite. The persimmon felt refreshing in her dry mouth, and she slowly placed one hand on the ground to push herself into a sitting position. She dusted off some of the dirt on her rags and then folded her hands together in her lap. "I don't have any money to pay for it," she mumbled, looking down.

"Ah, it's alright. How 'bout as payment, ya tell me yer name? I'm Gin." He held his hand out to her.

"Rangiku," she replied gratefully, though she still felt slightly lightheaded from the heat and from going without food for so long, and it was becoming difficult to concentrate. She gently leaned against him as her eyes slipped shut and she once again fell into unconsciousness. Gin held onto her for a moment before standing up and lifting her in his arms.

"Gin?" he turned around to see Ichigo standing a short distance away from him looking confused. He didn't know how long his friend had been there, but he would explain things to him later once they got to the forest and into the shade.

"Looks like we got a new companion, Ichi-chan. She is a pretty one, isn't she?" Gin stated cheerfully as he began carrying Rangiku down the road.

Ichigo scowled at the comment and lowered his head so his hair concealed his eyes. He felt a twinge of pain in his chest and didn't know what it was. It wasn't the same as the guilt he felt when stealing from people; it was more like his heart was aching. Seeing the girl in Gin's arms caused it to suddenly erupt, and he realized that he was starting to feel envious of her. It was stupid. Gin had only just met her two seconds ago, and he was already feeling this way.

He stopped before the abandoned cloth that held their food and picked it up. He bit his lip as he looked up and started following after his friend. He knew it was selfish, but he wanted to be the only one that Gin relied on. Now he had to share his friend with some girl? It wasn't fair!

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A/N: sorry, this is the boring stuff, next chapter is a bit better and then finally in chapter 4 we finally start getting somewhere! Also, I changed the part with Rangiku (she will be joining them) from the manga. Gin never sees Aizen or his men around there.

Thank you for reading, hope ya enjoyed, and please review!


	3. Attacked

Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed the last chapter! *hugs you all*

Special thanks to the wonderful **Panruru** for beta-reading this chapter

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Ichigo sat with his back to a tree, staring up at the night sky. It had been four weeks since his perfect world and been turned on its end. Four weeks since he and Gin had been alone and could goof off and tease each other. They'd been free to do whatever they wanted and had been within sight of each other at almost all times. But now, that had all changed. Now he was a third wheel.

He sighed as he looked over at the campfire where Gin and Rangiku were sitting and chatting about their day, neither one paying attention to him. It was something he was growing accustomed to. On many recent occasions he'd woken up alone because Gin and Rangiku had ventured into the districts to get food without him. They would always come back later on claiming they hadn't wanted to wake him. It hadn't been too long ago that Gin had been jumping on him to wake him up so they could get breakfast. Now he'd found someone else to help him.

He picked up a rock and started tossing it from hand to hand, then nearly dropped it when Rangiku began laughing at something Gin had said. He looked up again and saw the two of them having a good time, not even noticing he was still there. He began to wonder: if he left, would Gin even miss him? After all they'd been through, after watching each other's backs for so long, would he come after him?

_Of course not. Not when he has her,_ Ichigo thought to himself. In truth, Rangiku wasn't that bad. She'd become really bubbly after a few days of staying with them, which was kind of nice. She'd never given him a dirty look or made any unsavory comments towards him. If anything, she talked to him more than Gin did, making him wonder if his friend even wanted him around anymore.

"Hey, Ichi-chan," Rangiku called, and he looked up in surprise to see the girl waving to him. She had a bright smile on her face and was patting the empty spot at her side as if she wanted him to sit next to her. He looked over at Gin and noticed his friend hadn't even turned around, making him wonder if he really ought to bother them. "Don't make me go over there, Strawberry!" she finally shouted, making him scowl.

"My name isn't Strawberry!" he shouted, crossing his arms. Now there was no way he was going over there to see what they wanted. They could continue their little conversation by themselves all night, just how they liked it! He shifted around so he didn't have to watch them and stared into the woods.

"Aw, come on. We haven't talked in–" Rangiku began when Ichigo heard Gin shush her. The orange haired youth turned his head, wondering why his friend had wanted her to stop. Did he not want her talking to him or what?

"I heard someone," he said quietly. He moved back, knowing it was useless to put out the fire if they had already been spotted. The best chance they had if someone were to attack them was to run before they were caught.

"Are you sure?" Rangiku asked as she stood up along with Ichigo. The small group looked out into the trees, but none of them saw anyone there. Ichigo glanced over at Gin, who was frowning and looking around. Maybe he really had heard something, but there were always weird noises at night anyways.

"Did you hear that?" Gin asked again, and turned to look towards the tree Ichigo had been sitting under. The orange haired boy backed away. He had heard it too: the rustling of leaves and twigs snapping. Something was definitely there.

Rangiku looked at them with worry and hid behind Gin. A jolt of fear raced through her at the thought that it might be the same men who'd attacked her before. Had they realized she was still alive and come to finish her off, to leave her dead in the forest this time so no one could rescue her? She turned her eyes towards Gin and Ichigo; she didn't want anything to happen to them. She was about to open her mouth to comment on how she didn't hear anything anymore when a shadow jumped down from the tree and attacked.

Gin and Ichigo jumped back as a figure dressed in black and wearing a red mask landed a few feet away from them. Both boys held up their fists in preparation to attack, but before they could make the first move seven others appeared and surrounded them. Rangiku turned around and eyed them uneasily, wondering how they'd get out of this. The men who'd attacked her had been members of a local gang, but these guys looked like something else.

"Ya take three, I got four," Gin chuckled softly, and Ichigo frowned. It was just like Gin to smile in the face of danger, even when odds were against them as badly as they were now. He didn't know how well these men fought, but he guessed they had to be pretty good if they'd tracked them all the way out here.

Gin ran at the nearest one and tried to punch him but the masked man shunpo'd away, leaving the silver haired boy stunned. _Shit, these can't be shinigami, can they?_ He had never seen anyone use shunpo in Rukongai; even those who had high reiatsu had no way to learn unless they went to the shinigami academy. However, he knew that while they wore black, shinigami usually wore a white obi and never wore a mask.

"Pathetic kid," one of the dark figures muttered as Gin tried to punch him, only to miss and get kicked in the stomach. He heard Rangiku shriek as she swung a large stick at one of them, but that wasn't the reason she'd yelled. He turned just in time to see one of their attackers come up behind Ichigo while he was distracted by another and grab him around the waist before shunpoing away.

"Ichi!" Gin yelled in shock. He turned when one of his opponents grabbed him and punched the man in the mask, cracking it slightly. Unfortunately, in addition to hiding the person's identity, it seemed to be a helmet of sorts. Gin brought his hand back shaking in pain.

"We're done here," one of the men muttered. Gin opened his eyes with fury and ran at one man who had his back turned to him. He jumped on him and dragged him to the ground before pushing the mask off and repeatedly shoving the person's head into the dirt. Of course, it wasn't long before he was grabbed and thrown off his victim, then repeatedly kicked in the stomach for his actions. He picked himself up just as the last of the figures disappeared using shunpo, leaving Gin and Rangiku alone and beaten.

The strawberry blond ran towards him and bent down to help him up. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. She started checking him over for cuts and bruises, but he pushed her away.

"We gotta find Ichi," he told her urgently. He began staggering towards the forest, determined to find his friend. Those guys had been a lot stronger than the thugs they were used to beating up. These men had been specially trained, but what really worried him was Ichigo. He shouldn't have let him out of his sights, and he especially shouldn't have let him fight by himself. Of course, he'd made that decision before he'd realized the men they were fighting were a lot stronger than he'd expected. A mistake he wasn't going to make again.

"Gin, wait!" Rangiku yelled behind him. He hadn't even realized he'd been moving so quickly until he saw her trying to catch up. "Whew, finally. It's hard for a girl to run in this dark forest," she muttered, and he gave her a small smile before grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

He ignored her continued protests about how quickly they were moving and how she kept tripping in the darkness. He needed to find Ichigo. Already, he feared that they wouldn't be able to catch up…

"_Oh my god_!" Rangiku yelled in shock, yanking her hand free to cover her mouth. Gin opened his eyes and his grin fell away in horror at the sight before them.

The trees parted into a grassy field that was illuminated by the moonlight above, and lying face down in a puddle of blood was the person they were trying to find. Gin was the first to move forward, rushing to his friend's side. His heart raced at the thought of Ichigo being dead. There was nothing in the world that scared him more than that horrid thought, and when he turned the boy over he thought it might have come true.

Ichigo's shirt was drenched in blood and badly torn. His eyes were closed and his face was smudged with dirt, a trail of blood dripping down his chin. He would have believed his friend was dead if it wasn't for the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"Is he...?" Rangiku asked, bending down next to him and pushing bloody orange hair out of Ichigo's face.

"He's alive. My Ichi's a fighter," Gin replied quietly, and began inspecting his friend's body for the wounds that were leaking so much blood. He checked his arms first and found a lot of dirt and a bruise on the right arm, but no open wounds. He then reached down and pulled away the orange haired boy's shirt where the majority of the blood clung. To his surprise he found no wound, not even the smallest scratch.

Ichigo suddenly began coughing, bloody saliva spraying out of his mouth and making Rangiku draw back. Gin grinned down at his friend, relieved that he was alive and seemed to be waking up. Maybe now they could get an explanation as to what had happened. _And who those men were,_ he thought bitterly. He swore that if he ever laid eyes on them again, they would meet the most painful death he could conceive for touching his Ichigo!

"Gin?" Ichigo croaked. He opened his eyes and looked up, surprised to find Gin holding him.

"Ya alright, Ichi-chan?" Gin asked him, bringing the other boy closer to his chest protectively.

"Yeah, I think so," Ichigo whispered. He looked down at the large amount of blood covering him and almost jumped out of Gin's arms. "What happened?" he yelled, and would have backed away if Gin hadn't refused to let go.

"We were hoping _you_ could tell us that. What happened after they took you?" Rangiku asked softly, moving closer to them. She let out a sigh of relief, happy to see that Ichigo was going to be alright. She couldn't help but smile at the two boys. She knew how protective Gin was and how much he cared for the other boy. Ichigo was all Gin talked about when his friend wasn't around. She knew that if something had happened to Ichigo, Gin would have been lost.

"I remember one of them grabbing me, and then … everything turned black for a minute. After that I remember being in pain, but I couldn't see what happened," Ichigo whispered, and looked down again at the blood on his shirt. Why had he been in pain? Had he been stabbed or what? It didn't make sense.

"I'm glad ya 're alright, Ichi-chan," Gin whispered before kissing Ichigo on the cheek, making the orange haired boy blush.

"Aw you're right, he _is_ cute when he blushes," Rangiku chuckled, and received a scowl for the comment. Only Gin would find enjoyment in something embarrassing to him and share it with everyone!

Miles away, the seven black figures landed outside the thirtieth district of Rukongai and bowed down on their knees before a man in shinigami robes. He wore a confident smirk as he looked down at them through his glasses and ran a hand through his unkempt brown hair.

"We have completed our mission," one of the men spoke. He kept his eyes to the ground, knowing he could be punished for any sign of disrespect.

"Excellent, and the boy?" the shinigami asked with a smirk.

"We healed him afterward as you requested. He will live," the figure answered. The shinigami waved his hand and allowed them to stand up before throwing a pouch of coins down for them to take. He watched as they grabbed their payment and took off into the night, never knowing the purpose of the mission they'd just completed.

It was a small fee for what he'd needed them to do. He couldn't leave his division due to how closely he was being watched by his captain. This was one of the rare times he could attend to his business unnoticed since the blond loon was out on a mission. Now was the perfect time to strike and claim the one he'd been after for so many years. Finally, the boy had let his guard down and could be caught.

Now all Sosuke Aizen had to do was wait until the boy was discovered and entered the academy to become a shinigami. Then, the boy would be his.

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Sorry this took so long, I've been trying to finish all my other stories before getting to my longer fics so I can update them more. I'll try to update this again soon (or at least before the end of the month!)

How was the chapter? Good, So-so, ugly?


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